1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of devices used to secure the free end of paper toweling on a roll so that unwanted dispensing is prevented, specifically to a retaining device used for securing the end sheet or free end of anything distributed from a roll when the roll is supported for rotation in a holder detachably secured in a fixed position to a support surface. The present invention comprises a spring-loaded hinge connected between a substantially planar mounting member and an arcuate biasing member having a primary contact area near its upturned distal tip that is used to engage the end sheet or free end of rolled material in an associated holder. When the biasing member of the present invention is securely positioned against the rolled material to prevent unattended and excessive dispensing, at least a portion of the present invention's mounting member is attached to the support surface behind the holder and the rolled material it supports. However, while no direct attachment is made between the holder and the mounting member, the holder can be connected to a support surface directly in front of the mounting member, and as a result thereof, when the holder is tightened against the support surface, it makes immobilizing contact with the mounting member that locks the mounting member against the support surface until such time as the tight connection of the holder to the support surface is released. Even when this occurs, independent attachment of the mounting member to the support surface is desired to make certain that the biasing member is correctly located to effectively fulfill its rolled material engaging function before the holder is secured in place over the mounting member. It is important that the location of the mounting member relative to an associated holder establishes positioning for the biasing member's primary contact area that allows it to remain firmly established against the end sheet or free end of rolled material in the holder until all of the rolled material has been dispensed. However, although there is a defined primary contact area on the biasing member, it must be understood that the actual amount of contact area between the biasing member and the rolled material may vary according to the type of rolled material placed in the holder and the amount of rolled material remaining in the holder. Thus, when the rolled material in a holder is softer and more resilient, and/or more of it is present, it is expected for the amount of actual contact area on the biasing member to at least slightly increase, and for less contact area to be present when less resilient and lesser amounts of rolled material are in the holder. In addition, although the biasing force provided by the spring-loaded hinge causes a firm engagement between the biasing member and rolled material in an associated holder, the engagement is not so firm as to prevent movement of the rolled material under the biasing member in response to a pulling force applied by a user's hand to the end sheet or free end of the rolled material. Rolled material with perforations may be used with the present invention, as well as rolled material without perforations. Further, although it is contemplated for applications of the present invention to include the dispensing of other rolled material in addition to the dispensing of paper towels, it should be noted that the description herein will make exemplary use paper towel dispensing without any intention of limitation. Since the present invention retaining device is mounted behind a holder of rolled material to the same surface used for mounting the holder, its sale is primarily contemplated as an after-market product employed to improve the performance of a detachable holder of rolled material in current use.
One intended application of the present invention retaining device is to prevent excessive toweling distribution in situations where there is a need for frequent one-handed single towel separation from a mounted paper towel roll. Another particularly useful application is to prevent the excessive unrolling of paper toweling from a roll supported by a holder in a motor home or travel trailer where bumps in the road and other travel vibration tends to cause unattended unwinding that can result in excessive distribution of paper towels. Further, wind and air drafts are known to cause unwanted towel unwinding, and the present invention could also be used in association with a mounted paper towel holder positioned where it can be affected at least periodically by the presence of wind gusts and/or other rapidly moving air currents. The paper towel holder used with the present invention can be mounted under a cabinet (preferably when positioned at or above shoulder level but not limited thereto), or in any orientation on a wall or other support surface, to include a vertically-extending orientation, a horizontally-extending orientation, and other orientations in between that are found particularly useful in a specific application or location. Applications may also include, but are not limited to, use with large rolls of commercial paper found in some retail outlets, use in grocery stores, and use to reduce the likelihood that playful pursuits of pets and children in a home directed toward a mounted roll of paper will result in excessive dispensing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Holders used for dispensing paper towels from a roll in a free-standing position are known to have pressure members connected to them that maintain a neat appearance of the toweling and may also assist in the dispensing of single paper towel sheets. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,739 to Kraus (2004). For paper towel rolls mounted in a horizontally-extending position, unwanted dispensing of toweling is avoided by ratcheted and other means associated with the rotating member upon which the roll is supported. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,901 to Haen (2002). It is not known in the prior art to have a retaining device similar to the present invention that is configured for securing the end sheet or free end of dispensable rolled material supported for rotation in a holder while the holder is detachably fixed to a support surface, and wherein the device is not attached to the holder and instead is independently attached to the support surface behind the holder. Also, it is not known in the prior art for such a device to have an otherwise substantially planar mounting member with a hinge-shifting bend near its proximal end and be used in combination with an arcuate biasing member having an upturned distal tip that is configured and dimensioned for easy lifting of the biasing member away from the rolled material and into a raised position, which together provide adequate clearance with the holder's support surface for the raised biasing member's distal tip when unobstructed maintenance and other access to the rolled material and its holder is needed. If the hinge-shifting bend of the mounting member and the arcuate profile of the biasing member are not incorporated into the present invention, when the biasing member is moved by a user away from the rolled material, the support surface would possibly interfere and diminish the ease with which rolled material replacement can be accomplished. A simple design for the present invention that uses a low cost spring-loaded hinge and a minimal number of other parts, lends itself to durable construction, reduced manufacturing cost, and reliable use. No other device associated with a holder for rolled material so as to prevent unattended and excess dispensing is known with the same structure, to function in the same manner, or provide all of the advantages of the present invention.